


if i'm honest.

by lunardeism



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Football | Soccer, Minor Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Minor Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Minor Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra), Prom, Yearning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25646848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunardeism/pseuds/lunardeism
Summary: Catra lost count of how long she’d been friends with Adora. Ever since preschool, they had been thick as thieves, and Catra would follow Adora anywhere, both being each other’s only friend right up until they had started at Brightmoon High. When Adora had joined the co-ed magic soccer team, she had met Bow and clicked immediately. Shortly thereafter, Adora (and by extension, Catra) had fallen in with Bow, Glimmer, and their friend group, many of whom were Glimmer’s princess friends. Catra had never truly felt like Glimmer’s friends were really her friends, but as long as she always had Adora by her side, it never really bothered her. As long as she was glued to the blonde’s hip, nothing could ever go wrong.or,Alternate Universe where the Horde never invaded Etheria and everyone got to lead normal lives.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 151





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this kind of my idea of what high school would be like for etherians if the horde had never invaded and forced them to become child soldiers.
> 
> i feel the need to preface that i am british and have never experienced high school - and though it is set in etheria so it's not meant to entirely replicate american high school - much of this is inspired by glee and other high school movies, as well as other high school aus i've read in the past. special shout out to spop artists on twitter that have also served as an inspiration!
> 
> finally: i'm going to suggest a song for each chapter. for this chapter, it's '[watch you sleep](https://open.spotify.com/track/3GIIv6Eo0WSuM9Bxx5DTdR?si=LEt7m7mSR2mwam8N6IVZBA)' by girl in red.

It was the last weekend before the start of senior year, and Catra was perched on the arm of a big plush purple couch in Glimmer’s living room, her feet nestled in Adora’s lap, with the rest of their friendship group fanned out around the room on assorted chairs, bean bags and couches, all matching the purple colour palette of the room.

As the daughter of the queen and king of Etheria, Glimmer boasted the largest house in Brightmoon, perfect for accommodating the whole gang on movie nights such as these. A thriller that Perfuma had been raving about for days played on the holographic scene beaming up through the floor. All the lights had been extinguished for  _ the authentic aura _ according to Perfuma, and the 3 glowing moons in the Etherian sky filtered a dull, silver light through the sheer pink curtains, patterning the floor in waves.

Catra’s eyes drifted across her eclectic group of friends; Glimmer perched on the floor, her back resting between Bow’s knees, who in turn was sat next to Adora, sharing the popcorn that rested in her lap, secured between Catra’s ankles. Scorpia, who sat next to Entrapta, was nervously peeking out from behind her claws when the dramatic music from the movie subsided for a moment. Entrapta had a small length of her tendron-like hair stroking the scorpion girl’s back in an attempt to soothe her nerves, as Perfuma clapped excitedly in front of her, perched on her stomach, her feet swinging in the air, with her face mere feet away from the screen, hanging on the edge of each scene as it played out, and barely blinking at the jump scares. Mermista was sitting in one of the large, sinking chairs to the side, bickering with Sea Hawk in hushed whispers as he kept trying to nonchalantly slide from his position on the arm of her chair into her lap.

“Stop - urgh, please, you’re blocking my view,” she groaned, pushing him off for a fifth time.

“Blocking the view?! Darling, I  _ am _ the view!”

Frosta, the freshman that Perfuma had befriended and adopted into the group from one of her extracurriculars - what was it? Art therapy? - was sat in the biggest, squashiest bean bag, with the biggest bucket of popcorn in her little grubby hands, her demeanor far more accustomed to the violence happening on screen than Scorpia, who was still cowering on her corner of the couch.

Catra’s eyes flicked back to the blonde beneath her, whose blue eyes stared unwavering at the screen, her hand idly reaching down for popcorn every now and then. The cat girl curled over the cushion behind her head and dragged her claws through her soft, blonde ponytail. In response, Adora placed her popcorn dusted hand on Catra’s knee, squeezing gently, causing Catra’s stomach to flip. Catra thanked the stars that it was dark in the room, because the blush rising in her cheeks was humiliating. Adora was completely oblivious to the effect she had on Catra, and the longer she had her hand on Catra’s knee, the longer the feline felt her breath shorten, but she couldn’t tear herself away, rooted to the spot under those soft fingers. Every atom in her body seemed to be responding to that touch.

Catra lost count of how long she’d been friends with Adora. Ever since preschool, they had been thick as thieves, and Catra would follow Adora anywhere, both being each other’s only friend right up until they had started at Brightmoon High. When Adora had joined the co-ed magic soccer team, she had met Bow and clicked immediately. Shortly thereafter, Adora (and by extension, Catra) had fallen in with Bow, Glimmer, and their friend group, many of whom were Glimmer’s princess friends. Catra had never truly felt like Glimmer’s friends were really  _ her _ friends, but as long as she always had Adora by her side, it never really bothered her. As long as she was glued to the blonde’s hip, nothing could ever go wrong.

That sentiment was, of course, only held until last year, where Catra had met Scorpia in her advanced placement literature class, where Scorpia thrusted a very sudden friendship onto Catra, not that she minded. Through Scorpia, Catra also met Entrapta, the girl with magical purple hair, who seemed to adore physics and mechanics more than anything else in the world, as that was all she talked about. Catra found herself becoming quite fond of the two, though, and when she introduced them to Adora and the rest of their friends, the two girls seemed to fit in straight away. Ever since then, Catra had felt more at home with their large, strange mix of friends. Despite this, out of habit, Catra was always drawn to Adora, and often only found herself gravitating towards her in any group context. She was just glad that Adora seemed to return those same feelings.

A sudden, particularly loud jump scare brought Catra out of her thoughts, and her eyes flickered back to her knee, now cold as Adora had removed her hand in order to secure the popcorn that had threatened to explode over all three of them because Bow had scrambled to wrap around Glimmer’s head out of fear. A bubble of laughter erupted from Adora’s throat, and Catra shifted her gaze to see that Scorpia had practically launched herself behind the couch, cowering and whimpering behind a gasped, “Is it over yet?”

⚔

After earning a free therapy session from Perfuma, Scorpia managed to calm down, and they all pushed the furniture to the sides of the room and settled down into the huge pile of pillows and blankets that Glimmer teleported in from upstairs, appearing in a flash of sparkles, half her body masked behind a stack of bedding.

As Catra nestled into a particularly fluffy blanket, her hands kneading into the fabric slightly as she spruced up a pillow for her head, Adora flopped down beside her, grinning as her blue eyes met Catra’s mismatched blue and yellow eyes.

“Baking a particularly fluffy loaf of bread there, huh, Cat,” she mused.

Catra scowled (as per her nature), flattening her ear left ear as she pressed her cheek into the pillow. A beat of silence hung in the air between them, neither averting their eyes as they gazed at each other under the shallow light of the moons.

It was only broken when Bow stamped between them, a blanket trailing behind him as he blocked Catra’s view, and when he was gone, Adora was laying on her back, staring up at the arched ceiling above.

“Goodnight, everybody!” Glimmer hollered, and everyone murmured similar sentiments in reply, each nodding off slowly as the moons inched further across the sky.

Catra squeezed her eyes closed, attempting to coax herself to sleep, but her mind kept wandering to eyes of blue, blonde hair streaking through the wind. She sighed and opened her eyes at last, glancing at the girl before her, who lay sleeping beside her, slow breaths escaping her lips as her hand clenched where it rested on her chest. Catra could easily guess that she was dreaming about her first game of the season, the homecoming game. She smiled softly and inched closer, close enough to feel the warmth radiating off the other girl’s body but not close enough to sear her skin against hers. Under the lullaby of Adora’s soft snores, Catra finally drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in this chapter we get to see a little bit of catra's family dynamic! i didn't wanna make shadow weaver a prominent character in this fic because frankly i am too attached to catra to do that to her in this universe.
> 
> song suggestion for this chapter: '[love songs](https://open.spotify.com/track/6qL5UWxRSQYml9O99ozoLv?si=_O7_gomdT_yuhGTmc8t4eQ)' by kaash paige. 💗

Catra sighed as she tried (and failed) to flatten her hair behind her headband. She stared down her reflection in the mirror, picking at the hairs that refused to comply with her hands' smoothing movements. The morning sun streamed through her window, illuminating the discarded piles of clothes on the floor and the hastily stuffed backpack which lay unzipped next to her bed.

“Catra, honey?”

Catra’s head snapped up, and to her dismay, her hair fell back into disarray as she looked towards the door.

“You ready to go?” Spinnerella stood in the doorway, smiling that soft and warm smile of hers that always brought warmth to Catra’s chest.

“Yeah, I’m just - trying to - flatten - this - mane,” Catra grunted, her hands returning to their grooming position. Spinny chuckled, bubbly and warm, as she approached her and shot a small gust of wind up her back, causing her hair to puff up even more.

“Personally, I love your  _ mane _ ,” she said, pressing her cheek to the top of her daughter’s head.

Well - foster daughter. But Spinny and Netossa had been fostering Catra for so long that Catra came to think of them as her real mothers. They had fostered her from the system in the Fright Zone, and brought her to Brightmoon, where she met Adora when they enrolled her in preschool. Catra’s past in the system was just a shadow of her former life now, she could barely recall the masked matriarch who presided over the home for unwanted kids.

Catra leaned back into Spinny’s touch, her mother wrapping her arms around her shoulders and pulling her in tighter. She smelled like cinnamon and honey. Netossa was calling from the street below, where their skiff thrummed dully in the morning mist. “Come on, you’ll be late for your first day of senior year - and you don’t wanna miss that!”

Spinny ruffled Catra’s hair one last time, for good measure, and the cat girl whined as she reached for her bag, cursing as the contents tipped out of the unzipped canvas, her whines turning quickly to growls as she stuffed papers and exercise books back in.

⚔

From analysing each other’s schedules the night before, Catra and Adora realised they only had one class with one another. Catra had somehow made it into several AP classes, and though she prided herself on her wits, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to sit next to Adora in every class. But Adora promised her she would see her between classes.

So that’s what Catra looked forward to as she sat twitching in her seat, eyes glancing to the clock on the wall every few minutes. Castaspella was trying to explain a complicated plot point in the  _ Honour of Grayskull _ by Mara, a First Ones novel which was tentatively translated by Bow’s own fathers, but Catra couldn’t focus. Scorpia was furiously scribbling notes beside her, her tongue stuck out between her teeth, brows furrowed as she focused. But Catra’s mind was wondering, thinking about her friend Adora, decked up in her letterman jacket, full prowess as the star player of the Brightmoon team, walking the halls and turning heads, with Catra by her side, untouchable as the best friend of the most talented magic soccer senior in years.

So imagine her surprise when she stumbled down the hallway as soon as the bell rang, signalling the end of class, to the sight of Glimmer, short, pretty, bubbly Glimmer, leaning against the locker as Adora stood by, laughing at some joke or other, plucking something from Glimmer’s sparkly pink and purple hair. Something twinged in Catra’s stomach, her pulse quickening as she froze with her books pressed to her chest.

Catra couldn’t explain it, but she suddenly did not want to be seen by Adora at all. Before the blonde could notice her, she spun on her heel and walked off in the opposite direction, hissing as a shorter reptilian kid was unfortunate to have gotten in her way and quickly jumped back from her as she retreated down the hallway, walking to their class on her own.

When she arrived at the classroom, she slid into a seat next to a short, squeaky blond boy she had met maybe once before. What was his name, Ken? Kale?

“H-hi! I’m Kyle,” he squeaked, holding out his long skinny fingers to shake her hand, and a lightbulb went off in Catra’s mind.

“Right, yeah, Kyle. Whatever. I’m Catra,” she returned, and flashed a smile before she dampened his spirits with her sour mood.

Despite her irritation, she couldn’t help herself as her eyes flickered towards the door, waiting for that familiar swish of blonde ponytail, and that  _ stupid _ poof, but the minutes dragged on, and before long, the mathmatics teacher entered the classroom and closed the door behind them. Guilt curdled in the pit of her stomach, and she wondered if she had overreacted. She balled her fists on the table and let out a low sigh.

Finally, 6 minutes after class had begun (but who’s counting?), Adora finally arrived, uttering several apologies to the teacher as her eyes raked the room before landing on the cat girl, confusion filling her whole face as Catra met her eyes. Catra shrugged and averted her gaze as the teacher sighed in frustration and motioned for Adora to sit in the last free seat at the front of the class, and Adora complied as she slumped into the chair.

Catra avoided her gaze for the last 54 minutes of class, but she could feel those blue eyes burning into her every now and then, and she shifted uncomfortably as she tried to take notes and focus on anything other than the ugly feeling gnawing at her gut.

When the class finally came to a close, Catra packed her bag slowly this time, not in any hurry to leave. She could see Adora’s shoes approaching from the corner of her eye, and she waited on baited breath.

“Hey, where were you?”

Catra looked up and met her eyes, finally. “Sorry, I forgot,” she said, and winced at how unconvincing she sounded.

“Right, okay, well - you ready for lunch?” Adora asked, and Catra felt inwardly envious of her ability to shrug off whatever awkward tension had settled between them.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

⚔

The whole squad was squeezed into a too-small table, with more chairs pulled up than there was realistically space for. Catra was sandwiched between Adora and Entrapta, picking at her food as her ears pricked up to pick up bits and pieces of the conversations around her. Adora and Bow were talking about soccer practice, with Glimmer chiming in every now and then, while Scorpia and Perfuma were engaged in a debate over whether horror movies were better than romance movies. Entrapta was having a full conversation with her handheld device she had made herself, muttering in some formulaic language Catra could only dream of understanding. Sea Hawk was entertaining Frosta with superfluous anecdotes that couldn’t possibly be true, with Mermista groaning in the background as he edited in details to make it even more dramatic. Suddenly Catra felt like she was on the outside looking in.

There is something to be said about when in large friendship groups, there are often smaller pairs or couplets that are closer to each other than they are to other members of the group. Catra could never imagine herself hanging out alone with Frosta, for example. It seemed like everyone in the group had somebody who was their go-to friend. With Glimmer, it had always been Bow. With Mermista, it was Sea Hawk, her boyfriend-who-is-not-her-boyfriend. Frosta, who had practically been adopted by Perfuma, seemed to tag along with her everywhere. Scorpia and Entrapta, another pair that Catra constantly saw together. And of course, there was Catra herself and Adora.

But lately it felt like those dynamics were changing. Catra tried to tell herself it was only natural; as the group became accustomed to each other more and more each day, more nuances arrived in the relationships. Perfuma and Scorpia had struck up a particularly close friendship, Mermista and Frosta had bonded over their similar aquatic magical abilities, with Frosta sometimes pranking Mermista by freezing up her juice carton, and Mermista splashing milk in Frosta’s face in response.

And then there was Adora. Catra couldn’t blame anyone, honestly, for falling for Adora. She was charming, she was talented, she had influence. But Catra had always felt like Adora was  _ her _ person. Now, as she sat and listened to the conversations around her, she could hear Glimmer’s laughter bubbling on the tail of Adora’s jokes. Adora seemed to be becoming closer to Bow and Glimmer, and didn’t notice the toll it was taking on Catra. Catra wasn’t sure if this bothered her or not. She hadn’t really thought about it, in truth. Not until earlier in the hallway, anyway. Adora and Catra still saw each other almost everyday. But most lunch times like these, when the group was all together, Catra noticed the changes all the more strongly. Glimmer and Adora’s effortless banter, her similarities with Bow. Oftentimes, Catra found herself simply listening to other people’s conversations rather than joining in with them herself.

As these thoughts mulled around in Catra’s head, picking dejectedly at her vegetables, Glimmer cleared her throat and brought the table back to attention.

“As you all know, Bow and Adora’s first big game of the season is coming up,” she started, beaming at the two seated next to her, “and to celebrate, I am hosting an after-game party at my house!”

Everyone around the table uttered excited responses, looking at each other and grinning, all except Catra. She stared at her plate, unsure, really, why that sinking feeling fell in her stomach. It’s not that she hated parties, actually on the contrary, she loved dressing up and dancing - and recently, drinking. But as she heard Adora uttering praises from beside her, somehow she felt her value as a friend slowly dropping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> emo catra :(
> 
> thank you once again for reading! you can find me on twitter @[catrartemis](https://twitter.com/catrartemis)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song suggestion: '[only you](https://open.spotify.com/track/6rsuqpfWuNMpaektrYV906?si=FT0Ssf1JS2yFqJd6lytu8Q)' by omar apollo.

The sun was blaring down on the school particularly brightly that Friday. Catra was lounging on the raised bleachers, shading her eyes with her hand as she watched Adora, who was impossibly fast in her 8 foot tall princess form, clad in white and gold, with her glowing blonde hair tied back on her head. She zipped across the field, Bow and the other players in tow, running drills while the coach blew his whistle every now and then.

The rules are simple: you can only use your feet to kick a hovering, glowing orb down the pitch, and shoot it in between the posts at either end of the pitch. At least, that’s the extent of the rules that Catra deemed important enough to pick up on. In truth, she mostly watched Adora, now in her huge form, dribbling the orb between the players tagged in red bibs, playing as the opposite team for practice.

Suddenly, a shadow crossed Catra’s vision, and she was partly surprised (and partly not) to look up and see Glimmer standing over her.

“Hey!” she said, cheerily enough, thrusting herself down on the bleachers beside Catra.

“What are you doing here? You never watch them practice.” 

Glimmer’s faze fell to a quizzical expression, before she shrugged, still effortlessly cheerful. “First time for everything! Besides, it’s the day of the big game.”

Catra grunted in response. Glimmer wasn’t exactly unaccustomed to Catra’s bluntness, so it was a relief to Catra when it appeared she hadn’t caught notice of Catra’s moodier demeanor.

It  _ was _ the day of the big game: Brightmoon versus the Fright Zone. A thought lingered in the back of Catra’s mind, triggered by the name of the opposing team. Had she not been fostered out of a home in the Fright Zone by Spinny and Netossa, she would probably be a senior at  _ that _ school by now. She shuddered at the idea of an alternate reality where she may have been supporting Adora’s rival team. She had hung out around Adora long enough for some of the team loyalty to rub off on her, evidently.

“So…” Glimmer looked over at Catra, twiddling her thumbs. “Are you coming to my party after the game?”

Catra hummed, glancing to the short girl beside her, suppressing a smirk at her visible discomfort in initiating small talk. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Glimmer beamed at her. Catra supposed she didn’t mind the pink haired girl being there at practice with her so much anymore.

⚔

They won, of course. As usual, Adora was a force to be reckoned with. They thrashed the Fright Zone kids easily, kicking off homecoming with a bang.

After the game, Adora offered to walk with Catra to Glimmer’s party with her. Catra was glad for the alone time with her best friend. All week, though Adora did join her by walking her to all her classes, it seemed that Glimmer or Bow were never too far behind, and it never felt like they were truly alone.

The sun was setting low over the horizon, casting a warm, red glow over the tips of the trees of the Whispering Woods. Adora suggested they take the long way round, to  _ cool down _ after the game. Catra suspected she was really just trying to make up for earlier in the week, when Catra had split on her without her knowledge. Guilt sat heavy in her gut as she swung her arms beside her.

Adora was chattering away about the highlights of the game, walking through the goals she had scored in particular detail. Catra was happy to just listen to her excitedly rattle on as she walked in silence. Every so often the backs of their hands brushed against each other as they walked, butterflies rolling in Catra’s stomach as they did so.

As they entered the shade of the forest, Catra felt a sudden chill overcome her under the trees, no longer in the warmth of the setting sun. Adora paused mid sentence as she looked over at Catra and noticed her wrap her hands over her chest, rubbing her arms against the sudden chill of the shadows.

“Hey, come here,” she said, stopping suddenly to shuck out of her letterman jacket. Catra paused in her step too, turning slightly to watch her.

“What - oh…” she started, but trailed off as Adora placed the jacket around her shoulders. Still warm from Adora’s body heat, Catra felt her stomach somersault once more as she cautiously slipped her arms through the sleeves. She betrayed herself by allowing a small smile to sneak onto her face. “Thanks…”

⚔

She was intent on wearing the jacket all night.

Once they arrived at the party, Glimmer welcomed them at the door, and Catra had to take in a breath as they entered the palace. It seemed that Glimmer had invited the entire school that night, people lining every inch of the foyer, dancing and bumping against each other as music boomed seemingly from nowhere and everywhere.

“Damn, Sparkles, where are your parents?” Catra laughed, bubbling out of her in spite of herself.

“Oh, they’re somewhere,” Glimmer said dismissively, waving her hand as she passed them each a drink, one by one.

Adora took a sip and her eyes widened straight away, twisting her head to look at Catra. “Oh, wow,” she said after she swallowed back the drink, “that is very strong.”

Catra frowned and took a sip, and felt an electric current run through her body, bristling to the tip of her tail. “Oh shit,” she gasped at the strong alcoholic twang to the drink.

Glimmer laughed, picking up her own drink, and Adora joined in, laughter bubbling right from her chest, and Catra couldn’t help but grin in response.

They followed Glimmer through the crowd, until they found Bow, Perfuma and Mermista, who already had a tipsy Sea Hawk hanging off her shoulder, hiccuping between a long, dramatic dialogue about his summer boat trip with his dad. Adora placed a hand flat against the space between Catra’s shoulder blades, and though her touch was dulled enough through the fabric of her jacket, Catra felt her cheeks warm, a fluttering feeling building in her chest. She swore it on the alcohol, but while Adora swayed to the music beside her, she smiled into her drink.

The alcohol settled in quicker than she expected, and as Scorpia and Entrapta arrived, Entrapta dragged her into the middle of the dance floor, and building on the liquid confidence of the alcohol thrumming in her system, Catra didn’t mind being torn from Adora’s side quite yet. She laughed as Entrapta acted out the robot dance with her magical strands of hair, gasping as she bumped her back against someone behind her, and hollering as she saw it was Scorpia, and dragged the scorpion girl into their circle. Perfuma stumbled in from another direction, and they all laughed as they danced together. Catra didn’t even mind the humidity of dozens of bodies dancing in the vicinity around her.

“Scorpia, lift me up,” she slurred, grabbing at Scorpia’s big, muscular arms. Scorpia complied with added enthusiasm, thrusting the nimble cat girl onto her shoulders. Catra spread her arms wide, howling into the night, as Scorpia spun her around. Catra imagined Adora’s eyes on her, and as she looked around the room, she felt her stomach dropping as she couldn’t see the blonde ponytail through her slightly blurred vision.

Slightly panicked, she grabbed at Scorpia’s perfectly styled hair. “Wait, wait! Put me down!” she screeched. Scorpia bent down hurriedly and allowed Catra to pounce off from her shoulders.

“Wild Cat, what’s wrong?” she asked, almost shouting over the volume of the music.

Catra didn’t respond, Scorpia’s voice fading into the background as she dodged through the bodies of the crowd.

⚔

Adora had watched Catra be dragged off into the crowd with a grin, glad to finally see her smiling after a day of long silences and scowls. She hung back with Mermista and her not-boyfriend under the pretense of wanting to just watch - but in reality, she was not at all confident in her dancing abilities, afraid of embarrassing herself in front of a whole crowd of her drunken classmates, and someone else in particular.

Suddenly a blur of pink hair smashed into her chest, and she felt Glimmer’s arms thrust around her middle, grabbing tightly. Adora, confused, chuckled before she looked down and saw the tears dribbling from the shorter girl’s eyes, staining her flushed cheeks, and her face fell immediately. She held Glimmer by the shoulders as she asked, “Glimmer? What happened?”

“I - I told him, and he -” Glimmer choked on a sob, “Oh Adora - he, he  _ hates _ me.”

“What? Hold on,” she clasped Glimmer’s hand and dragged her upstairs, aware of people staring after them as she pulled a blubbering sparkly princess behind her. “Okay,” she breathed as she sat down on Glimmer’s window seat as they entered her room. “What happened?”

Glimmer breathed in deeply and looked at Adora through large, glistening eyes, new tears threatening to burst their banks. “You probably noticed by now, but I’ve had feelings for Bow, and I guess he was on a high from winning the game, because he was acting so happy and affectionate with me, so - I decided to tell him how I feel.”

“And?”

“And…” Glimmer looked down at her hands. “He rejected me. Oh - I feel  _ awful _ . I probably ruined his whole night with my stupid feelings.”

“Woah, woah, okay, listen to me Glimmer. Your feelings are not stupid. I’m sure he was just taken by surprise.”

“I don’t know,” Glimmer murmured, her voice lowering as her voice strained against a lump in her throat.

Adora pouted in sympathy, pulling Glimmer into a hug. She could feel her tears soaking into her t-shirt, and she hummed comfortingly as she rubbed her back. “It’ll be okay… It’s Bow.”

Suddenly the door burst open, and Adora looked up to see Catra, stood frozen on the spot, her irises dilated to pin pricks in her mismatched eyes. Adora’s lips parted as she noticed the way Catra’s tail bristled slightly, her lips pulled into a tight light, and a strange sensation of guilt settled in Adora’s stomach, but she wasn’t sure why.

“Catra…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!
> 
> as always, i'm @[catrartemis](http://twitter.com/catrartemis) on twitter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> today's song suggestion is '[self sabotage](https://open.spotify.com/track/6T0s5OlHKQ9gUn0j2O7xS8?si=L19oXhIaQsWY6wscv_RDOw)' by rebecca black. the title of this fic, "if i'm honest" is a line i drew from the lyrics of this song.
> 
> enjoy!

Catra stood rooted to the spot, a million thoughts flooding her mind all at once at the sight before her. Glimmer’s face tucked into the crook of Adora’s neck. Adora’s arms wrapped around Glimmer’s shoulders. She stared at Adora’s hands, that sour feeling she thought she had put behind her suddenly pooling in her stomach.

“Catra…”

Catra narrowed her eyes at the sound of Adora’s voice, hating the way it sounded like pity. Closing up the feelings threatening to flood out of her, she spun on her heel, tearing out of the room. Every part of her that had been warming up to Glimmer now dashed to bits in her mind, replaced by an ugly, twisting feeling instead.  _ That should be me. _ Her pulse thrummed in her ears as she stumbled down the stairs. She was suddenly aware of how warm it was, with the weight of Adora’s jacket around her shoulders heavy on her skin. She growled and ripped it off of herself, throwing it over the banister before she tore off across the foyer, only allowing herself to breathe once she had exited the palace. She bent over the side of the porch, holding the sides of her head and dragging her claws through her hair until she could shove the feelings threatening to spill out of her back inside.

“Hey you,” an unfamiliar voice purred from behind her. She lifted her head and scowled at the reptilian figure who came to stand beside her. “Shitty party, huh?”

Catra just frowned in response, letting her gaze drop to her hands.

“Well, I’m Double Trouble,” they said, shrugging and leaning against the pillar holding up the porch. “But I guess you can call me DT for short. Everyone else does.”

Despite the ugly feelings muddling together inside her, Catra couldn’t help but scoff. “What kind of name is that?”

“A name I gave myself to escape my past,” they purred, unfazed by Catra’s sour voice. “So… what’s up with you?”

Catra regarded them for a moment, then sighed, resigning to let her guard down after figuring they weren’t a threat. “I just feel like… my best friend doesn’t care about me anymore,” she said in a small voice.

“Huh…” Double Trouble paused, “and… how do you feel about that?”

“Awful, obviously!” Catra groaned, dragging her claws down her cheeks.

Double Trouble hesitantly placed their hand on Catra’s shoulder. “You wanna get out of here?”

“Please.”

Double Trouble must not have been too drunk, or at all, because they drove the skiff smoothly down into the Whispering Woods, navigating the twisted paths with ease as Catra sat next to them, curled up with her arms hugging her knees, chin resting on top. She watched the trees whizz past them, her thoughts ebbing away the further they drove from the palace, the jealousy that gnawed at her stomach fading along with her thoughts.

⚔

Adora searched the entire palace, twice, and when she returned to the Glimmer’s room to where she had set up sleeping bags and pillows, the party had already ended, people trickling out as they left with gift bags and water bottles from Angella and Micah.

Glimmer curled onto her side, her finger tracing the seams of her pillow case. Adora lowered next to her.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“For what?” Glimmer caught her eye as she lay next to her.

“I should have been there for you but… I don’t know. That look on Catra’s face. I felt like I had to go after her, you know?”

Glimmer hummed, averting her gaze. She rolled onto her back and sighed deeply. “I just wanted this night to be perfect, but I feel like everything is ruined.”

Adora tutted, reaching out to grab Glimmer’s hand. “That is absolutely  _ not _ true! Everyone had so much fun.  _ I _ had so much fun. Until… well you know. But I’m sure Bow will come around.”

Glimmer squeezed her hand back and smiled at her. “Thank you, Adora. You’re a good friend.”

Adora beamed back at her, but when Glimmer turned her head again, her face fell, and a bad feeling gnawed at her insides. Something about Catra’s face told her that what Glimmer said wasn’t true.

⚔

The weekend came and went, and Catra didn’t respond to any of Adora’s messages. She had half a mind to go over to her house and demand for the cat girl’s attention. She didn’t, though. She figured her friend would be back to normal by the time Monday swung around.

But as she waited in the hallway for Catra, she was nowhere to be found. Adora shoved her hands in her pockets, and as she turned up to mathematics alone, sliding into the seat at the front of class, Catra never showed up to class either.

At lunch, she asked Scorpia if she had seen Catra, but Scorpia simply shrugged. “Haven’t seen her all day. Which is strange. Usually she turns up to every class. Do you think she’s sick?”

“I don’t know… I feel like she would’ve told me.” Adora picked at her food, her bottom lip sticking out.

“I’m sure she’ll come around,” Glimmer said warmly, patting her shoulder gently.

But the days passed, and Catra did not come to join them for lunch. A couple of times, Adora spotted Catra in the busy hallways between classes, but either Catra pretended not to see her, or she turned the other way. An empty feeling fell upon her, and she resigned to let Catra come to her instead.

Each lunch time, the table seemed to get emptier. Bow still sat with them, but he began talking to Perfuma more, with awkward silences often falling heavy on the table. Scorpia and Entrapta drifted away, too, now that Catra no longer sat with them. Adora couldn’t blame them, she always felt like they were closer to Catra than they were to anyone else. Still, it  _ sucked _ . The whole friendship group seemed to fall apart. The only people that seemed to stay relatively the same were Mermista, Sea Hawk and Frosta. Adora knew that Catra didn’t realise she was the glue of the group.

Adora felt obligated to keep Glimmer company, and of course she didn’t mind, but she knew it was not the same, for either of them. Glimmer gazed longingly at Bow’s shoulder at the other end of the table even as Adora tried to take her mind off him, talking about anything and everything she could think of.

The only semblance of normal came when she had magic soccer practice at the end of the day. She didn’t feel it was her place to talk to Bow about his deal with Glimmer, so she acted as normal as possible, so as to maintain a normal enough friendship with him.

She worked extra hard during practice, pushing that extra mile as they ran laps, kicking the glowing orb that much harder, becoming a borderline hazard on the playing field. If their coach, Swift Wind, the talking winged horse, minded, he didn’t show it. On the contrary, he seemed ecstatic at Adora’s newfound energy.

One evening, after practice, Adora decided to exit the locker rooms the back way, as it was quicker to get to her skiff. As she passed the back entrance to the auditorium, which was situated near the locker rooms, she froze in her tracks.

There she sat, her elbow resting easily on a green reptilian kid’s shoulder, who she recognised from last year’s musical, laughing in that easy, cattish way Adora was so used to, her fangs on full show. She was surrounded by what Adora could only assume were the other theatre kids, and one of them was fooling around, dancing in a flailing motion, and they all laughed in that similar ease as Catra.

Adora stared at her, her towel, damp from her shower, hanging limply from her hand. As Catra came to, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye, she noticed Adora standing there, across the skiff park, and her eyes widened, the smile falling swiftly from her face. Adora sucked in a breath, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. A cold feeling crept up her back again. She shrugged her shoulders pointedly, before walking away, towards her skiff.

“Whenever you’re ready, Cat,” she said under her breath, irritation needling its way into her voice.

⚔

“Hey, Glimmer.”

Glimmer jumped, slamming her locker shut in surprise and dropping all her books in the process, her loose papers flying everywhere. “Jesus, Bow!”

“I’m sorry, I-” Bow bent down to help gather up her things. As he passed them back to her, he smiled sheepishly. “Could we, uh, go somewhere to talk? I know you have a free period now, so…”

Glimmer’s heart cinched in her chest as she watched him scratch the back of his head, awkwardness dripping off him from head to toe. How easy was it for her to just soften in front of him on the spot? “Sure.”

Bow led her to the bleachers, where it was mostly empty except for a few straggling students at the other end of the pitch. As he motioned her to sit tentatively, he took a deep breath and Glimmer watched him fidget, and she could have noticed his nervous demeanor from a mile away.

“Bow?”

“Yeah!” Bow looked at her with the most deer-in-the-headlights expression she had ever seen and she couldn’t help but crack into a smile.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

Bow sat down slowly and stared at his hands, which he clasped and unclasped immediately (they were sweaty). “First of all, I’m  _ really _ sorry for what I said. I know that I hurt you and then I pushed you away and that was really stupid of me.”

“Oh Bow…” Glimmer sighed. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have been upset with you just because you didn’t return my feelings. I was being selfish, I’m sorry.”

Bow paused, studying his hands a little closer as he flexed his fingers. “Ah, yeah. About that. So… I know you think I rejected you because I didn’t like you, but that’s not really the truth.”

“Oh?” Glimmer followed his gaze to his hands, a small blush tinting her cheeks.

“Yeah. So. I was just really, really terrified of sabotaging our friendship. You’ve been my only friend for like,  _ ever _ . And I have no idea what it would be like if we, I don’t know… broke up? Or something?” His eyes flickered up to meet hers and Glimmer noticed for the first time that a small blush peppered his cheeks, too. “But I mean, I’ve been thinking a lot. And talking to Perfuma, ‘cause you know, she’s good at this stuff.” Glimmer chuckled at that, relief filling her chest. “And I’ve come to the conclusion that I could only ever imagine myself ending up with you, anyway, because. Well. I like you too.”

Glimmer’s eyes glistened with tiny tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

“So… what I’m trying to say is… can we figure this out together?” Bow scratched the back of his head again, shyly. Glimmer let out a tiny squeal and threw her arms around his shoulders, and she felt him soften beneath her, letting his arms wrap around her waist.

“Yes,” she murmured into his shoulder, and they stayed there like that for a while.

⚔

Adora was happy for them, really, she was! It was just that now that they were “working on their relationship,” Adora felt like a third wheel any time she hung out with them. She wanted to be her usual chipper self around them, now that they were back to normal, or the new normal. But every time she saw them together, her mind kept drifting to the thought of Catra, laughing with those theatre kids.

It had been 2 weeks since she last had a proper conversation with her. Catra hadn’t responded to any of her messages. She never even met Adora’s eyes in class any more. When she found herself alone, Adora felt overwhelmed by the emptiness caused by the loss of her best friend. She lay awake at night, trailing through every action that led up to Catra no longer talking to her, but she couldn’t remember what she could have possibly done to warrant this. A feeling of inadequacy rose in that empty feeling.

Once again, her one salutation was magic soccer practice. Running through the drills was easy, no thoughts, head empty. Her breaths fell heavy from her mouth, her lungs burning as she ran through the coordinated drills Swift Wind had set them, kicking her knees up and bending her head low as she dribbled the orb between oncoming red-bibbed players. Between calculated breaths, she dodged one teammate, running the orb through their legs. She was halfway down the pitch when she heard Bow’s shouts of “I’m open!” and as she looked over to pass the ball, she froze as her line of site fell on the sight behind Bow’s shoulder.

Two pairs of ears were pricked up under the bleachers, a green tail poking out from beside it. As a red bibbed player stole the ball from her, the game moved back down the pitch in the opposite direction, but she was not fazed. She couldn’t believe the nerve of Catra, coming to the soccer pitch of  _ all _ places. With the commotion of the other players moving further away, Adora could pick up on the loud music playing from a speaker and the laughter of several of the other theatre students. The familiar sense of irritation she had felt the last time she saw Catra bubbled under the surface as she stormed off in the direction of the lockers.

“Adora! Where are you going?” Switch Wind demanded, but Adora just shook her hand.

“I’m sorry, coach, feeling sick,” she called back lamely, knowing full well her excuse fell flat.

If her coach objected, she didn’t hear it, as she stalked off the pitch, heading to the showers.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song rec: '[everything i wanted](https://open.spotify.com/track/3ZCTVFBt2Brf31RLEnCkWJ?si=gvk9bdrySZ2M-GmFwl-R4A)' by billie eilish.

_ “Adora! Where are you going?” _

Catra’s left ear pricked up as she heard that name over the sound of tinny music coming from the speaker, and she twisted in her seat as her eyes followed the commotion happening on the pitch behind her. She caught sight of Adora leaving the field, seemingly very upset. In fact, Catra swore she’d never seen Adora that pissed off before. She looked back at her new friends, then down at her hands twisting in her lap.

In truth, she had drawn Double Trouble and their friends to the bleachers specifically to rub it into Adora’s face that she didn’t  _ need _ her, but now that she suspected that intention had worked, she realised the feeling wasn’t as satisfying as she thought it would be. The giddy feeling she had been feeling before turned strange, coiling into regret. She looked back up at the cheery faces around her, dancing to electronic music and swigging from some inconspicuous bottle. Catra sighed as she stood and braced herself against Double Trouble’s shoulder. She had had a few sips herself, so she felt a small rush as she stood up a little too quickly.

“Hey, I think I’m gonna go,” she murmured, mostly to Double Trouble.

“Oh,” they said, “you want me to come with you?”

“No, no. That’s okay, really.” She smiled, unconvincingly, as she picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, retreating from the group as she clenched her fist, digging her claws into her palm.

_ I wanted to make her hurt like she hurt me, so why do I not feel any better? _

She walked all the way home, scuffing her feet along the beaten path through the woods towards her village. She felt rotten. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t shrug the feelings that muddled themselves in her head. Guilt over upsetting Adora, defensive over her own hurt feelings, a longing for a sense of normality, emptiness from the loss of her best friend. Each feeling tumbled over itself with each step she took. Her eyes stung with tears she would not allow herself to shed. Her feet ached but she didn’t mind,  _ couldn’t _ mind, her heart heavy with every conflicting feeling she felt.

As she entered the house, she could hear the conversation of Spinny and Netossa in the kitchen, and as every emotion heaved inside her, she knew as soon as she saw them she would fall apart. Before they could stop her to ask about her day like they did everyday after school, Catra swiftly shifted down the hallway to her room, shutting the door behind her with a slam louder than she intended, and crumpled to the floor in front of it.

She crawled to her bed, curling up among the sheets and pillows, gasping in breaths of air as she willed herself not to  _ fucking cry _ . A few minutes passed and she felt herself finally start to calm, shifting back to her empty chested feeling, closing back up.

She hadn’t even realised she’d fallen asleep until she felt Netossa shaking her shoulder gently. “Catra, honey… Won’t you come down to dinner?”

Catra curled into a tighter ball, bringing her knees to her forehead and attempting to burrow deeper into the sheets. Netossa’s hand was warm and comforting on her arm, her thumb rubbing soothing circles into her fur. It felt wrong.

“Catra… do you want to talk about it?”

Catra shook her head. She didn’t even know what to say. Spinny entered the room with a cup of cocoa, shuffling towards the bed. Catra felt the bed dip as she sat next to her, her hand coming to rest on her head. “I made you some cocoa, baby,” she said, placing the cup on the side table. Catra unfurled slightly at the promise of cocoa, looking over her shoulder at the concerned faces of her mothers.

“I’m fine,” she croaked dismissively, sitting up in her bed.

A pause, and then:

“Is this about Adora?”

Catra looked down at her hands, unable to hide her guilty feelings from them.

“Huntara called us to tell us that you guys weren’t talking,” Netossa explained. “She was worried about Adora, but we didn’t want to get involved. After all, it’s  _ your  _ friendship. But I hope you know we’re always here to talk to you if you need us.”

Catra nodded hesitantly, a lump forming in her throat, and she felt her bottom lip trembling against her will. Spinny brought a hand to her cheek, stroking it gently with her thumb. When Catra looked up and caught her eyes, she couldn’t hold it back anymore, and all the tears she had been holding in poured out of her, and she keeled over into Spinny’s chest, letting out a possibly inhuman wail as she struggled to breathe from the tenuous thread that had just snapped inside of her, feelings finally breaking out from the tension she had been holding inside her for so weeks. Netossa sat down on the bed next to her, wrapping an arm around her shaking shoulders, murmuring comforting words into her hair.

“I don’t know how everything got so  _ complicated _ ,” Catra gasped into Spinny’s shirt, her body racking with each shaking breath she exhaled.

“Listen,” Netossa said slowly, as Catra’s wave of sobs subsided slightly. “When I was younger, I was in love with my best friend too.” Catra froze up, her breath bated, but said nothing. “Maybe you know her, she teaches at the school. Well, we are friends again now. But when we were younger, our relationship was very complicated. Sometimes these things can’t be translated into black and white. But,” she rubbed Catra’s back, “just because someone may not return our feelings, doesn’t mean they don’t care about us. And Catra, we know - and I know  _ you _ know this too - but Adora cares about you so much.”

Catra stayed very still for a while, processing Netossa’s words, before she raised her head. Her expression was stony. “I don’t have a  _ crush _ on  _ Adora _ ,” she scowled. “She just replaced me with a newer, sparklier friend.”

Netossa and Spinnerella glanced at each other. “Well,” Spinny began, “if that is so, what Netossa said still applies. We know she still cares about you, kitty cat.” She smiled as she took her hand. “We’re going to go, alright? You deserve your space. But I’ll leave this cocoa with you, and you can come down to dinner when you’re ready, okay?”

Catra nodded, wiping as her tear streaked cheeks with the backs of her hands. She took the cocoa and brought it to her lips as her mothers left the room. Netossa’s words spun around in her head, and despite the relief she felt from letting out all the tension she had been keeping to herself, even more conflicting feelings seemed to arise inside of her. She couldn’t be in…  _ love _ with her best friend, right? Sure, she had always loved Adora, ever since they were younger. But that was because they were best friends, and practically inseparable. That’s what all best friends are like. She took a sip of cocoa and leaned back against her cushions, sighing softly.

⚔

Adora picked at her lunch, chewing dully on her vegetables as her mind fogged over. It had been a few days since she had seen Catra, seen that laugh that used to be reserved for  _ her, _ the ugly feeling in her gut wrenching itself deeper as she shook her head. Glimmer and Bow were bickering playfully beside her, joking around like normal, and Adora sighed as she was unable to match their energy.

Maybe she sighed a little too loud, because Glimmer stopped abruptly and looked over at Adora. “Adora? Are you okay?” she asked, though she knew the answer already.

Adora pressed her lips together into a tight line, and shrugged her shoulders, letting go of her fork and letting it clatter to the plate.

“This is about Catra, isn’t it?”

Adora sighed and slumped lower into her seat. “I mean, yeah, but… well, whatever, she won’t talk to me no matter what I try, so.” She looked up and caught Glimmer’s eye, and the determined expression on her face. “…What?”

“Right!” Glimmer practically shouted, slamming her hands on the table. “I don’t know what has gotten into you two but  _ I _ for one am about to find out!”

⚔

Lately, Catra had been travelling through alternate hallways to get to her classes so as to avoid a certain blonde soccer player. But exiting her literature class was particularly hard, as it opened into the hallway where her and Adora’s lockers were. Of course, their lockers were right next to each other, as they had orchestrated the moment they first stepped into this school. Luckily, she had avoided her thus far, hurrying to her locker to exchange her books quickly and efficiently, before turning down the hallway and following along a different path to her next class without ever bumping into Adora, or Bow, or Glimmer.

Not this day, though.

As Catra reached her locker, she felt the fur on the back of her neck bristle under a tell-tale electric charge as a small, glittery purple girl appeared beside her in a shower of sparkles. She groaned and slammed her locker shut. “What do you want, Sparkles?”

“Why are you ignoring Adora?” Glimmer demanded, straight to the point, her eyebrows knitted together with her hands on her hips.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Catra said, feigning nonchalance.

“Are you kidding?” Glimmer exasperated, stepping closer. Catra stepped back in response. “You guys were like  _ best friends _ and then you just ignored her out of nowhere? And on the night of her big game? Why?”

Catra scoffed and shoved past her, stalking down the hallway, forgetting about her books in her locker. Glimmer groaned and skipped after her.

“Catra.  _ Catra! _ Don’t you dare walk away from me when I’m talking to you!”

Catra pushed her way past students coming and going from their classes, a frown setting heavy in her features as she approached the exit to the school.

“CATRA!”

Catra yelped and lept back from the explosion of purple magic that materialised before her, almost mowing her down before she had narrowly averted collision. “What the fuck, Glimmer?”

“I won’t leave you alone until you tell me why you’re ignoring Adora!”

“Because of  _ you _ ,” Catra hissed, shoving her way through the fire exit as irritation began to creep up her spine.

“Because of… me?” Glimmer said in a small voice, looking down at her hands, still clenched in little fists. Catra turned to look at her, noting how she was suddenly so small for someone who had erupted in such rage before.

Catra sighed loudly, dragging her hands down her cheeks. “No, no, that’s not what I meant.” She sat down on the steps outside the fire exit and hugged her knees. “I’m sorry. I just - it felt like she was starting to lose interest in me because she was hanging out with you and Bow more. And I got jealous,” she said the last word a little quieter, not proud to admit it to the princess.

“Oh, Catra…” Glimmer stepped closer and bent to huddle next to her. “I’m sorry that you felt like that. Adora was helping me sort through my feelings for Bow. I’ve never had a girl friend I could talk to before. I didn’t mean to overstep your boundaries.”

“No, it’s okay, you weren’t overstepping,” Catra murmured, “it was my own fault really.” She had been so focused on Adora all this time, she had never considered the dynamics between Glimmer and Bow, and now that she heard it from Glimmer, she frowned and lowered her head. “You’re allowed to be friends with Adora, I shouldn’t have been so territorial. I didn’t realise what you and Bow were going through. I was stupid, I’m sorry.”

“You’re not stupid.” Glimmer smiled and rested her hand on Catra’s forearm. “You know, I think that apology is meant for someone else.”

Catra looked up at her, apprehension written in her features. “You think she’d let me…?”

“Are you kidding? She’s been so  _ mopey _ with you gone,” Glimmer chuckled, gently buffing Catra’s shoulder with her own.

Catra’s stomach fluttered at the thought of speaking to Adora again. “Thank you,” she said in a small voice, “for talking to me. I really needed that.”

Glimmer beamed brighter. “What are friends for?”

_ Friends. _ Catra smiled back at her, a warm feeling spreading through her.

⚔

It had been so long since Catra had come to the bleachers to actually watch Adora at practice. Her legs felt like jelly as she stepped up to her old, usual seat. The sky was overcast and a cool breeze bristled through her hair, and she hugged her hoodie tighter around herself. A small part of her wished she still had Adora’s jacket.

Adora was running the usual drills, in her 8 foot tall transformed self, red bib slung over her shoulders fitting a little smaller than it did on the others. She hadn’t noticed Catra yet, volleying the magical ball off the back of her foot and over her head, and Bow cheered enthusiastically from across the pitch at the trick. Adora’s laugh fell easily from her mouth, running a hand through her hair after booting the orb towards the goal and scoring. As Swift Wind heckled them back into formation, Adora glanced at the bleachers out of habit and froze in her tracks as she met Catra’s gaze. Catra straightened her back, clasping at her thighs with her claws. Now she was here, she hadn’t anticipated how all her feelings would flood back at once as Adora noticed her.

Adora turned, jogging back to formation, a little jumble of butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she did so. She quickly shoved them back down as she scoffed.

It was petty, she knew, but for the rest of practice, Adora pointedly ignored the way Catra’s eyes bore into the back of her head.  _ If she can ignore me for weeks, she can put up with me ignoring her while I play this game,  _ she thought. Even so, there was an added pep in her step as they ran through the rest of the drills, and she couldn’t help but feel chuffed that her own personal cheerleader was back on those bleachers, watching her again.

When practice finally wrapped up, and the rest of the players shuffled back to the locker room to wash up and go home, Adora jogged to the side of the pitch, sweat glistening all over her body as she shifted back to her original form with a golden flash. She picked up her water bottle and tipped her head back as she squeezed water into her open mouth, then over the rest of her face. As she looked up and saw Catra still sitting on the bleachers, observing her nervously. She picked up her towel and dried her face off before she climbed the steps towards the cat girl.

Catra watched her as she approached, her pulse quickening as she stood up quickly. “Hey Adora.”

Adora regarded her for a moment, still breathless from her practice, chest falling heavily with each exhale. “It’s been a while,” she replied at last, flicking her towel over her shoulder.

Catra looked down. “Yeah, about that-”

“Look, Catra, I don’t know what I did to you to deserve all this fucking silent treatment, but you’ve got to know that that wasn’t okay.”

Catra inhaled sharply, shoving her hands deep inside the pockets of her hoodie. When she looked up, Adora’s eyes bore into hers, her hair tied back in a ponytail, but many hairs had become loose and stuck to her temples from the sweat of practice. “I’m sorry,” she uttered weakly, shrugging her shoulders slightly as if wincing at her own limp reply. “And you’re right. I just…” She hesitated as the words of Netossa and Glimmer rolled around in the back of her mind, and she realised with a start that, as she stood there under the lens of Adora’s stare, the true depth of her feelings. She breathed in deeply. “I thought that you were replacing me with Glimmer and I pushed you away first so I could protect myself from getting hurt.” She wasn’t ready to admit exactly  _ why _ that would hurt. Not yet.

“What… why would you think that?” Adora’s hardened demeanor softened slightly at Catra’s words, and she stepped closer. Catra mumbled something under her breath. “What?”

“The party… when I walked in on you and Glimmer…”

“Oh… that.” Adora glanced at Catra’s hands twisting in her pockets. “I mean, Bow and Glimmer have been best friends forever, just like us. There’s no way I could replace you with her. Or, with anyone really. And Glimmer would say the same with Bow.”

“Yeah, I talked to Glimmer. That’s kind of why I’m here.” Catra looked down at her toes. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Catra heard her step closer and felt her arms wrap around her soldiers. Her stomach flipped as she slumped into the touch, as sweaty (and honestly, smelly) as Adora was. “Friends?”

Catra looked back up at her as she pulled back again, nodding with a small smile. “Thank you for forgiving me.”

“Hey, no problem,” Adora beamed. “It’s us, isn’t it? Nothing could come between us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love glimmer so much


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song suggestion: '[all the things she said](https://open.spotify.com/track/4bJygwUKrRgq1stlNXcgMg?si=-4LugJTeTOqhty8rMNBV-A)' by t.A.T.u.

And just like that, things slowly went back to normal. Well - normal with a few adjustments. Bow had finally bit the bullet and called Glimmer his girlfriend, which had prompted Glimmer to join Catra in watching Bow and Adora at practice. Not that Catra minded, she had grown to become quite fond of Glimmer. Though their friendship consisted mostly of Catra pretending to be disinterested in Glimmer’s existence, she couldn’t deny that Glimmer had a very comfortable presence. As Scorpia and Entrapta started sitting with them at lunch again, it was impossible to miss Perfuma’s delight, as she had in turn grown quite fond of Scorpia.

Adora and Catra hadn’t talked about what happened again. They fell back into step almost naturally, spending as much time together as their schedules could possibly manage. However, Catra still hadn’t told Adora how she really felt about her on the excuse that there was never a right moment. She didn’t mind, though. Their same old dynamic suited her just fine. They spent so much time together that sometimes, in the back of her mind, Catra almost felt like they were dating already. Oh, and Adora let Catra wear her letterman jacket  _ all the time _ now.

As the next big game approached, Catra wasn’t the only one that noted the cocky demeanor of Adora. She was still riding the high of their last victory, and though she was too humble to admit it, it was largely because of her that they had won.

“Those Crimson Waste kids have no chance,” Catra commented one afternoon as she lounged on the bleachers next to Glimmer, who sat munching on a bag of marshmallow bursts.

“Oh no doubt,” Glimmer retorted, chucking a marshmallow into her mouth. “With  _ Bow _ on their team? Brightmoon are unstoppable.”

Catra threw her head back and cackled. “Sure, Sparkles,  _ that’s _ what I meant.”

“Hey! Put some respect on his name! He is the best defender on this side of the Whispering Woods!” Glimmer frowned at her, though there was a laugh hidden behind there somewhere.

Catra looked her up and down and scoffed, sneaking herself a marshmallow from the bag and tossing it into her mouth. “He’s good, I’ll give you that. But  _ She-Ra _ on the other hand…”

“Oh we get it, Catra, your big huge 8 foot tall  _ girlfriend _ is the star player, the  _ one to watch, _ ” Glimmer exclaimed with mock jazz hands.

It was a flippant comment, Catra knew, just to tease her, but Catra froze up all the same. An awkward silence ensued before Catra let out a half-hearted chuckle in response. Thankfully, Glimmer hadn’t noticed Catra’s little meltdown, as she was currently ogling her boyfriend as he booted the magical soccer ball a considerable length down the pitch, away from the goal he was defending.

⚔

The evening of the game was chilly, and Catra and Glimmer were bundled up to their necks in coats, scarves and hats. Catra noted the almost humorous contrast of their styles, Glimmer decked up in pastel pink and purple, Catra in red and black, bar the red and white jacket that Catra had practically stolen from Adora at this point.

The game itself was more tense than they had expected; the Crimson Waste team had evidently come as prepared as the Brightmoon team. Each time Adora shot to score, the goalie booted the orb back halfway down the pitch with next to no effort. Adora’s princess form was nothing against their beast of a goalie, and though Brightmoon’s goalie (and defence team, Glimmer would like to remind anyone who asked) were just as good, the game came to half time with neither team scoring a single goal.

After the whistle blew signalling half time, Bow and Adora sauntered over to where Catra and Glimmer, who were considerably more overdressed than them, were standing at the front of the crowd.

“You guys are doing great!” Glimmer encouraged, clasping Bow’s hands and rubbing them between her mittened hands in an effort to warm them up, though frankly, Catra looked at Bow, still flushed and gleaming with sweat from the first half, he didn’t really need it.

Catra scowled as Adora, morphing back to her normal size with a flash, poked her forehead with a chuckle, causing Catra to tip off balance momentarily due to the weight of all her clothing. “ _ Adora! _ ” she yelped as she grabbed the railing in front of her to steady herself. Adora merely snickered in response, taking a drink from her bottle. Catra hoped the blush covering her cheeks was hidden well enough behind her scarf.

When she thought no one else was looking, Adora looked off at the pitch, a sullen expression on her face. She kicked at the ground absentmindedly, fiddling with the water bottle in her hand. Catra watched her from behind her scarf, trying to be inconspicuous, sensing that all Adora’s confidence from before the match had been dashed in the first half.

“Adora,” Catra said, and the blonde looked back at her, her eyebrows raised in a questioning tone. “You got this.”

Adora beamed, leaning her hips on the railing, impossibly close now, that Catra had to step back slightly, her blush deepening at the proximity. “You think so? They’re better than the Horde scum.”

“I know so,” Catra grinned, “besides, you’re  _ She-Ra, _ they haven’t seen the best of you yet.”

Adora’s eyebrows quirked up again, higher this time, paired with the twitch of her smirk. “You’re right, I  _ am _ She-Ra.” She morphed back into her princess form and flexed one arm, and Bow laughed, the sound contagiously spreading through the group.

When the whistle blow signalling the start of the second half came, Adora and Bow jogged back onto the pitch and Catra could still feel the heat on her cheeks. Something about Adora’s 8 foot tall princess form both intimidated and impressed her, and her standing over her like that during half time, glowing blonde hair flowing down her back in a ponytail, with that stupid hair poof, too, made Catra feel impossibly shy.

After the players got into formation, the referee blew the whistle, and already Catra noticed a new fervor in Adora’s moves. It seemed like Catra’s motivational words had worked, because she pressed harder down the field, dribbling the magical soccer orb between oncoming players, tripping the ball over her shoulder like she had at practice. The crowd was roaring from behind Catra, with Glimmer heckling beside her. Adora was almost within shooting range, and she poised in preparation to take the shot. The defenders were moving in like oncoming traffic, and she only had this momentary window of opportunity, and with a hard punt of her foot, she kicked the ball with a resounding  _ smack  _ that reverberated around the pitch.

Catra half expected to hear it hit the net behind the goalie, however, what happened next happened so fast she wasn’t sure  _ what _ she saw. With just as much strength as she had hit the ball, it bounced back off the goalie’s forearms and right back at her, slamming into her face. A resounding gasp travelled along the crowd and Catra stared in horror as, with a blinding flash, Adora detransitioned from her princess form and crumpled to the ground.

Catra froze, the blood draining from her face as her fingers twitched. Every sound around her fogged as she stared at Adora on the ground, players from her team rushing over to her. Catra zoned back in, letting out a ragged breath as she pounced over the railing, running across the field as the ice cold air roared by her ears and pierced her cheeks. She fell to her knees by Adora’s side, breathing hard, unable to utter a sound as she stared at Adora’s unconscious form, blood dribbling from her nose, purple blotches developing in the balls of her cheeks under her eyes. Her soccer uniform, made to fit She-Ra, rested limply on her shorter frame.

“Is she  _ dead? _ ” Catra rasped, clutching at the dewy grass next to her body, too afraid to touch her.

“Unlikely,” someone said beside her, “probably just concussion. We need to get her to the infirmary anyway, just in case.”

Catra sat on one side of her bed, in a low, plastic chair, with Huntara, Adora’s carer, on the other side. Catra couldn’t tear her eyes away from Adora’s unconscious frame, all patched up now with a casing over her nose and medicated gauze covering her cheeks.

“It’s all my fault,” she whispered. Huntara looked up at her voice, alarmed at her words.

“Woah, kid, no, this was all purely an accident.”

“I told her she had it,” Catra said, almost laughing at the absurdity. “I thought she was dead.”

“Mm, it looked bad,” Huntara hummed, but she shook her head. “You know, I kinda feel responsible too. Sometimes I think she gets a lot of that tough energy from me… you know?”

Catra frowned in objection. “No, it wasn’t your fault, I made her all cocky-”

“Would you both stop blaming yourselves for  _ my  _ stupidity?” Adora croaked, and both of them whipped their heads towards her direction. Catra jumped to her feet at her side as Adora tilted her head towards her. “Hey, Catra.”

“Hey, how - how are you feeling?” Catra asked, maybe too rapidly, excitedly, as she clutched at her hand. “Adora… there was so much blood.”

“Sorry,” Adora grimaced, shifting herself into a sitting position. “Got a bit carried away.”

“Catra didn’t leave your side the whole time you were out,” Huntara noted with a smile. Catra flushed and let go of Adora’s hand, sitting back down in her chair.

“Yeah, well, I thought it was serious,” she muttered, fidgeting with the ends of her scarf.

Adora smirked at her, crinkling the corners of the gauze on her cheeks. “You  _ waited _ for me.”

“Shut up,” Catra huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I thought you could’ve died. Anyone would do the same.”

“Actually,” came a voice from behind them, and the nurse walked towards them, “it’s just a minor concussion and a fractured nose. She’ll be fine in a few weeks.”

Catra bunched her cheeks to the side. “I bet that Crimson Waste had it in for you. They did it on purpose.”

“Come on, Catra,” Adora chuckled, extending her hand towards her on the bed. Catra’s stomach did a small flip.

“Well, since you’re fine now,” Huntara interrupted gruffly, “I’m going to go grab a coffee.” And with that, she got up and left the room.

Alone with Adora like this, Catra felt smaller under her gaze. She looked down at her hands fidgeting in her lap, pouting with her bottom lip. “Adora, I - I was so worried something awful had happened…” Her cheeks burned, and she couldn’t look up at the blonde, knowing that she was either wearing a look of confusion, or better yet, a cocky grin that would just  _ bug _ Catra in this moment, when she was trying to be serious. “You don’t know what you looked like before they cleaned you up. You were bleeding so much and I-” Her voice cracked, humiliatingly so. She  _ couldn’t _ cry, not now, not in front of Adora. She thrust her face into her hands and swallowed, gaining her composure. “Anyway. I’m glad you’re okay.”

A beat of silence lingered between them, and fear twinged in Catra’s stomach, afraid that she’d said something stupid, afraid that Adora had caught on, afraid that Adora would think she’s weird. “Damn, Catra, it almost sounds like you  _ like _ me,” Adora said, a giggle bubbling on the tail of her words. She was teasing, Catra knew it, but her cheeks burned like flames and she shook her head thoroughly, finally looking up to catch Adora’s laughter, a strange mix of feelings twisting in her stomach.

“This is  _ not _ because I like you!” she bit back, and Adora simply laughed again. There was no animosity in it, no mirth, no evidence of disgust or repulsion like Catra feared the most. Adora was simply happy that her best friend was by her side, thought it was endearing that Catra cared so much. The cat girl couldn’t help but grin back at her laughing friend, scoffing as she leant back in the chair.

⚔

Adora was discharged later that evening, with the simple instruction to “take it easy” which Catra found a little impossible for someone as clumsy as Adora. Regardless, as was the custom after every game, Glimmer was having a sleepover. Huntara let them go, on the condition that Catra took care of Adora.

When they had arrived, Bow looked pitifully dejected as he told Adora that they had lost the match.

“It’s okay,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Can’t win ‘em all.” She looked over at Catra and her face cracked into a small smile.

Now they sat around the holographic screen, this time playing a gentle, safe romantic comedy, of Scorpia’s suggestion. Catra was curled by Adora’s side in their usual spot on the couch. She wasn’t really paying attention to the movie though. Her gaze was preoccupied by Adora’s hands resting on her knee, thumb rubbing gentle circles across the fabric of her jeans. It was electric, really, the simple act of affection boiling the pot of feelings simmering in the pit of her stomach.

“You guys,” Glimmer’s voice cut through the tension in Catra’s mind suddenly, and she zoned back into the conversation, finally recognising the crowd of friends around her. Someone paused the movie and Glimmer continued, “Prom is coming up, right?” She was looking up at Bow, specifically, with a sparkle in her eye.

Catra mimicked this and looked up at Adora, only to find her looking right back at her intently. Catra flushed and averted her eyes quickly, looking anywhere but at Adora as she willed her cheeks to cool down, and floundering internally as they just turned redder. Everyone was chattering excitedly, talking about who they were going to ask, what they were going to wear, what kind of theme their school would go with this year.

Fear bit at the back of Catra’s mind, telling her that she couldn’t go with Adora, couldn’t expose her feelings in case she was humiliated with rejection in front of all their friends.

“Uh - I’m going with Double Trouble,” Catra blurted out, though truthfully she had no idea if Double Trouble was even free to go. She doubted it.

Everyone stilled in their conversations and looked at her, including Adora, who looked… confused? Slightly hurt? “Oh,” she murmured, eyes boring into the centre of Catra’s face, as if she wasn’t really paying attention to where her eyes landed.

“Yeah,” Catra breathed out nervously, scratching the back of her neck. Adora’s hand stilled its movements.

Glimmer let out a slightly awkward garbled noise before she said, “Adora, you should come with me and Bow! Like a trio!”

Catra was relieved that the attention had come off of her.

“What, and third wheel the entire night? Thanks, guys, but I think I might just not go,” Adora said sheepishly, leaning her head back on the couch and motioning to the plaster on her nose, “you know, injured and all.”

“You can’t not go! You’re the star player!” Perfuma squawked, blasphemed at the idea of someone rejecting  _ prom _ .

Adora shrugged slightly, avoiding Catra’s eye, and shifted in her seat. Catra moved her legs out her lap, drawing her knees into her chest. “Uh, okay. I guess I’ll find somebody to go with,” Adora said and smiled weakly, mostly to appease Perfuma, who looked like she had been scorned.

The rest of the night passed in a blur and Catra could barely pay attention to the several conversations happening at once. Adora had gotten up to get a drink, and when she returned she sat on the arm of the sofa next to Glimmer and Bow and joined in on their conversation. That familiar, rotten feeling settled in the bit of Catra’s stomach, and she crawled over to where Scorpia was sat on the floor between Perfuma’s knees, who sat on a beanbag behind her.

“Hey, Wild Cat,” Scorpia murmured affectionately, smiling brightly at her as she approached, and for the rest of the night, Catra stuck to Scorpia’s side, unable to meet Adora’s eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> are y'all ready for prom??


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> princess prom princess prom princess prom!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song suggestion: '[i got the moves' by a$h.](https://open.spotify.com/track/08sySuh4pX7SHbhbT1a44T?si=Fo0Il_JnQ3i9I7O8rxiptQ)

Catra knew it was a stupid idea to suggest Double Trouble as her date to prom the moment she sought them out the next week at school. She had practically fallen off the edge of the earth with no explanation since she had made up with Adora, why did she think they would actually agree to go to prom with her?

Thankfully, Double Trouble and their friends were in their usual spot by the back entrance of the auditorium, listening to some… choice electronic music and chattering about morally grey topics that would make Perfuma roll over in her future grave.

“Um, hey, DT,” Catra stuttered, scratching the back of her neck as she approached them awkwardly. Double Trouble looked up, a cooling smirk spreading across their features.

“Been a while, Kit Kat,” Double Trouble purred, leaning back on their hands as they watched her approach. “What can I help you with today?”

Catra shoved her hands into her pockets and toed at the ground with her foot, an overwhelming feeling of awkwardness washing over her as she realised the absurdity of her situation. “I - uh,” she began, looking around at the faces of the group, anxiety settling in the pit of her stomach, “actually, can we go somewhere to talk? Uh - alone.”

Double Trouble quirked their eyebrows upwards, but didn’t remark further as they got up and followed Catra out of earshot from the group. “So, whaddya need?” they asked, cocking a hand on their hip.

“This might sound a little weird,” Catra began, twisting one of her feet over the other as she swayed awkwardly, “but… do you want to go to prom with me?”

The reptilian sucked in a breath, leading into a soft cackle as they whipped their head to the side. “What a romantic gesture.” Their eyes glinted as they looked back at her. “So you disappear for a week, then come back to ask me to prom?”

“I know…” Catra looked imploringly into their eyes, and Double Trouble could tell she was desperate. They sighed softly, crossing their arms over their chest. “It’ll just be as friends, I promise.”

Double Trouble scoffed again, their fangs showing faintly beneath their arrowed lip. “I sure would hope so, Kitty, as I’m not exactly  _ into  _ cat girls.” They regarded her with a long stare, raking across her body thoughtfully. “Fine, I’ll go with you. Are you sure there’s no one else you want to go with?”

Catra narrowed her eyes, scratching the back of her elbow guiltily as she felt Double Trouble gaze intensify under her fidgeting. “I don’t know what you mean - I mean, no. Everyone I know has somebody already.”

Double Trouble raised their eyebrow higher, pursing their lips together. “Really?” they remarked, interested. Catra averted her gaze.

“Well, thanks for going with me,” she said, shrugging her shoulder, feeling an odd mix of relief and discomfort settling in the pit of her stomach. “I should probably get going, though… You know, class and all that… Oh - and don’t feel the need to pick me up, I - I’ll just meet you there.”

Double Trouble nodded knowingly, and let her go with an odd glint in their eye that she couldn’t read.

⚔

Catra stood in front of the mirror in her room, staring herself down and, frankly, feeling stupid. She was wearing the one dress she owned, a flowing, silk blue dress she had worn 3 years ago to one of Spinny’s friends’ weddings. It didn’t fit right on her body anymore, tight around her chest and under her arms. She hadn’t thought of buying a new outfit as she knew she had this dress in her wardrobe and assumed it would still fit (because really, she had barely grown since freshman year).

She sighed loudly, turning away from the mirror as a dull pang of anxiety stabbed at her stomach, her mind derailing off thoughts like  _ I should just not go _ or  _ everyone will laugh at me _ . Dresses didn’t fit right on her, anyway. The silky blue material contrasted harshly against her hardened face, and it was honestly an embarrassment to look at herself in the mirror.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a soft knock at her door. “Hey, kid,” Netossa said as she stuck her head around the door. “Oh, Catra… you look beautiful.”

Catra scowled and pushed her hair over her shoulder, looking off. “I look stupid.”

“No, no, honey, why would you say that?” Netossa crossed the room to where she stood and cupped her face in her hands, brushing her thumbs over her cheeks.

“I just… I don’t like how I look.” Catra looked down, avoiding her mother’s gaze. Netossa drew her lips into a thin line in thought, dropping her hands and stepping back to inspect Catra’s outfit.

“You know what, when I was a kid, I hated dresses too,” she said, finally. “Do you want to try on one of my old suits?”

Catra’s ears perked up as she raised her eyes to meet her gaze, as if the thought had never occurred to her. A  _ suit? _ She already knew she would feel much more comfortable in one of those. She nodded quickly with a new feeling of excitement replacing the anxiousness prickling in her stomach.

Netossa grinned and held up her palms. “Right, wait right here, I’ll see what I can find.”

Catra smiled back at her before she turned back to the mirror, relief washing over her as she began tugging the ribbon cinching her waist free.

Netossa took no time at all, and before Catra even had time to yank the dress over her head again, she reentered the room with a deep burgundy suit in her hand. “Here,” she said, thrusting the ensemble into Catra’s hands. “Try that on for size.”

Catra complied immediately, tugging her dress off (earning a giggle from Netossa as her hair reacted to the synthetic material by standing up on end). She stepped into the pants, quirking an eyebrow as she noted they were only slightly loose on her, to which Netossa dashed from the room and brought back a belt. Next she pulled the dress shirt on, buttoning it up clumsily with her long nails. She looked at herself in the mirror again as her mother helped her put her arms into the jacket, and a warm wave of pride washed over her.

“It’s… perfect,” she whispered, “thank you, mom.”

Netossa beamed at her from the reflection as her hands lingered on her shoulders, looking just as proud as Catra felt. “It looks great on you. Wanna come downstairs and show Spinny? I think she wants to take pictures,” she added in a murmured voice, squeezing her daughter’s shoulders.

Catra nodded and followed Netossa downstairs, dragging her feet shyly as Spinnerella met them at the bottom of the stairs, camera in hand. She beamed widely, letting out a soft hoot as Catra posed against the bannister, living out her teenage rom-com moment as Spinny clicked several pictures, capturing each cattish expression.

Once they were done fawning over her, setting a small rose behind her ear, Catra shoved her hands in her trouser pockets, a little thrill running down her spine. “Right, well - I should probably… head out.”

Her parents grinned stupidly, giving her another hug and Catra had to bat them away with her hands as she screamed, “The hair!”

Netossa gave her a lift in their skiff to the school sports hall where the prom was being held, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before Catra could escape. “You look awesome, honey, go get ‘em.”

Catra grinned as she leapt off the skiff and landed firmly on her feet. “Thanks, mom.” As Netossa pulled away, Catra started walking up the steps, hands in her pockets again, and resolved to wait by the door, as she figured Double Trouble would be late.

She could hear the music thumping faintly from inside and the distinctive sounds of chatter and laughter. She let her gaze drift over the new arrivals trickling into the hall, inching further from the door so as not to get in anyone’s way.

Then she saw it, her eyes drawn to the unmistakable blonde ponytail flashing as Adora hopped off her skiff and extended her hand behind her. Catra’s eyes raked over her body, a heat coming to her cheeks. Adora wore a red, high-necked silk dress cinched in the waist with a golden ribbon, with a golden pin holding her ponytail up. Catra narrowed her eyes as she watched the vaguely familiar orange hair of the new girl at school (Starla, was it?) and lowered her gaze to their hands as they connected, Starla (yes, it was definitely Starla) stepping off the skiff after Adora. If she remembered correctly, Starla was a new member of the cheerleading team, and she was  _ cute _ . An ugly feeling of jealousy panged inside her as she withdrew into the shadows, really not wanting to be noticed by Adora and her pretty date right now. When they finally entered the hall - without noticing Catra in the shadows - she let out a breath and dropped her head. It was stupid, really, to be jealous when  _ she _ had been the one to effectively sabotage her own opportunity to have gone to prom with Adora.

She was kicking at the ground bitterly when she heard a familiar voice lift her out of her thoughts. “Hey, Kit Kat.”

“DT, hi,” Catra looked up and mustered up the most genuine smile she could as she stepped towards them. Double Trouble was wearing a black unitard, tight against their skin, with a cropped, black blazer over their shoulders. Catra gulped, noting how good they looked momentarily before she shook her head and came back to reality. “Shall we?” She held out her arm for them to take, but they simply chuckled and pressed their hand on her shoulder.

“Thought this wasn’t a  _ date, _ ” they said, voice low and silky and sending shivers up Catra’s spine - or is it just the cool evening air?

Catra spluttered and dropped her arm to her side, shoving it back in her pocket. “I mean - yeah - obviously! I was just kidding.”

Double Trouble let out a low chuckle and pushed her forward with the base of their palm. “Let’s go, kiddo.”

As they entered the hall, Catra couldn’t help but gape at the decorations, completely transforming the bland sports hall into a glistening ice cave, and Catra faintly recalled the theme was supposed to be snowglobe paradise or something like that.

She raked her eyes over the crowd, trying to spot familiar faces, before her eyes landed on Bow, slightly taller than the rest, decked out in a silver suit. Next to him (and quite a lot shorter), Catra spotted Glimmer’s pink head of hair. She turned to Double Trouble and motioned for them to follow her, then pushed through the crowd. As she approached her friends, she noticed the swish of a blonde ponytail once more and froze in her tracks, but it was too late. Bow had spotted her and was waving her over with a bright smile on his face. She walked over to them cautiously, a shy smile on her face as Bow and Glimmer cooed over her outfit.

“Oh, Catra, you look  _ amazing _ !” Glimmer squealed as she reached out and clasped the flaps of Catra’s blazer.

“Should I be worried about her stealing my woman?” Bow joked as a side comment to Adora who stood next to him, and Catra caught her staring at her, her mouth agape slightly. She turned her head and laughed belatedly at his joke and elbowed the side of his arm.

Glimmer frowned back at him, the sides of her lips twitching in a betrayal of a smile. Glimmer was wearing a swishy purple dress that was dotted with starry sparkles, and Catra had to bite back her usual  _ Sparkles _ comment as she smiled down at her. “You look good, too, Glimmer.” Almost surprised at the comment, Glimmer looked up at her, her eyes twinkling affectionately as she brought her hands up to her cheeks and squealed again. Catra rolled her eyes and groaned, stepping out of Glimmer’s line of sight. “Guys, this is Double Trouble.”

Double Trouble tipped forward in a slight bow, a smirk curling in the corners of their mouth, before they straightened again, snaking an arm around Catra’s shoulders. A flush came to Catra’s cheeks and she thanked whoever designed this hall to keep the lighting dim as a murmur of greeting came from around the group as Double Trouble tipped their head to the side, knocking against Catra’s lightly. “A pleasure.”

After making polite conversation with the group, Double Trouble dragged Catra away to dance, and similarly, Glimmer pulled Bow along with her.

“I see why you asked me, now,” Double Trouble purred in her ear as they dropped a hand to her waist, clasping her hand in the other. Catra blinked at him, innocently enough.

“What do you mean?”

Double Trouble hummed and looked off, and Catra followed their gaze to where Adora stood, deep in conversation with Starla.

“Oh, that? No.” Catra laughed uneasily, attempting to shrug off their insinuation.

“It’s okay, Catra.” Double Trouble almost never used her real name. “Your secret is safe with me.” They smiled, a genuine smile this time. “Plus, I am a  _ superb _ actor. If you want to make her jealous, you chose the right person.”

Catra spluttered, messing up her footwork as she stood on their toe. They sucked in a breath, but their teasing expression had not melted off their face.

Catra decided to let it drop as a more fast pace song started playing and Double Trouble’s face lit up, grabbing her hands and spinning her around until she could not help but let the laughter bubble out of her.

After several songs played with Catra desperately trying to match Double Trouble’s energy, laughing as they danced with outrageous character, pulling moves that would probably end with Catra injuring a limb if she attempted it. As a slower song played, Double Trouble rolled their eyes and withdrew from the dancefloor, Catra following idly behind them as they found their way to the refreshments table.

Scorpia was there with Perfuma and Entrapta, who was animatedly eating the tiny finger foods. Double Trouble poured Catra some punch and she thanked them, taking a sip as she approached her other friends.

“Hey guys, this is Double Trouble!” She gestured to the reptilian person who sidled up beside her. They extended their hand politely, which Scorpia shook enthusiastically.

“A pleasure.”

“Riiight, the person you abandoned Adora for!” Entrapta exclaimed, causing Catra to choke and splutter on her drink awkwardly.

“N-no! They’re my friend,” she said, clutching her throat as she swallowed thickly.

Double Trouble simply grinned, not offended in the slightest. “I like to think of it as an  _ upgrade _ .”

Catra noticed Perfuma glare from the corner of her eye, but she said nothing, so Catra pulled them away and let her friends stew in the suddenly awkward silence. “Come on, I think this song is almost over…”

Her voice faded as her eyes fell on the sight of Adora, smiling down at Starla, her hands holding the smaller girl’s hips as they stepped slowly to the music. Blood flooded her ears and her neck became hot, and she was about to storm away in frustration, when Double Trouble landed their hands on her shoulders, turning her around to face them. They looked into her eyes searchingly.

“Breathe.” She nodded at their voice and sucked a deep breath through her nose and blew it out of her mouth. Despite the dull blood flow in her ears, she felt herself calm slightly. “Place your arms on my shoulders.” She complied, slipping her hands over his shoulders and clasping them behind their neck. They, in turn, brought their hands to grip at her waist. “I’m going to lead us near to them, okay?” Catra nodded, swallowing down another nervous breath. The air was stuffy between the slow dancing bodies, but Double Trouble’s hands were sturdy on her waist, guiding them further into the dancefloor as they stepped to the music. They were looking behind her with a sly grin on their face, lowering their head slightly so their cheek brushed against Catra’s. She gasped at the closeness, and they chuckled lowly in her ear. “It’s working,” they whispered, snaking their hands to the small of her back. “She keeps glancing at us.”

Butterflies tumbled in her stomach, though now she couldn’t tell if it was from Double Trouble’s touches or the thought of Adora noticing her like this, and possibly becoming jealous. She was too shy to look for herself, so she allowed her forehead to drop into the crook of Double Trouble’s neck, hanging her hands from their shoulders.

As the song ended, Double Trouble parted their bodies and bowed to Catra, lifting their eyebrow as a smile crept to their face again. “She’s gone, probably to get a drink,” they said, straightening and dusting off their shoulders. “How did you like my performance?”

Catra couldn’t respond at first, still slightly breathless as she nodded dully. “I - I mean, yes, very good!” She shook her head and grinned at him with a matched slyness now.

Suddenly Glimmer appeared beside them in a shower of sparkles, causing Double Trouble to jump back and let out a strangled noise of fright. Catra tipped her head back and laughed, gripping her stomach as she did.

“That was great, Sparkles, you should sneak up on DT more often!”

“What? Oh! Sorry, Double Trouble!” Glimmer stammered apologetically. Then she turned to Catra. “As per tradition, I’m going to have a bit of an after party at my house after prom! Just our friend group though - oh, Double Trouble can come too actually! You know, since we invited Starla.” She rolled her eyes at herself as if to say  _ duh, _ and Catra felt her stomach flip again.

“Right,” she said, managing a smile. “Thanks Glimmer. You wanna come, DT?”

Double Trouble smiled politely and nodded their head at Glimmer, “I would be happy to. Thank you for the invite.”

Glimmer’s chest puffed up happily, and she nodded at them both, before disapperating into the air in another poof of sparkles, causing Double Trouble to clutch their chest in shock again. Catra chuckled at them and felt the nervousness in her stomach dissipate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just think double trouble is neat


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after i wrote the opening scene of this chapter, i was delighted to see [this art](https://twitter.com/QueenPersethany/status/1287826263776755713) on my twitter timeline and it kind of reminded me of it, so thank you, beth leilani for the free serotonin.
> 
> song suggestion: '[stay back](https://open.spotify.com/track/6BeHRHvxvE8qUu4fLcxFt2?si=haS3myF-SBGvvUQbW4DNNg)' by omar apollo.

They left before prom had really ended, as the music had mostly tapered off into slow songs (which were definitely not Double Trouble’s vibe). Glimmer had made the rounds, gathering up all the stragglers of their friend group, and they all walked to her house together.

Catra tried to avoid looking at Adora and her new date, but out of the corner of her eye she could see them walking close, talking animatedly, their hands brushing against each other occasionally. Okay, so maybe Catra’s eyes did drift over to them, staring at their back profiles bitterly. She sighed, exhaling slowly as she closed her eyes. She knew her energy was not matching the rest of the group’s, but really, the night had not been so bad up until now. She had danced with Double Trouble, eaten her fair share of snacks and punch (non-alcoholic, much to Double Trouble’s distress), and had several people ogle over her in her suit, including Glimmer, which she thought was flattering. She was fond of her friends, and she hated the ugly feelings clawing inside her stomach causing her to scowl all night while everyone else laughed and smiled.

Double Trouble pulled her out of her thoughts by clasping onto her hand, linking their fingers together. “Follow my lead,” they muttered, so that only she could hear. Then they took off, jogging slightly and letting out a bellow of laughter as the two of them passed by Adora and Starla in a flash, earning a surprised gasp from the latter. Catra yelped as she clutched onto Double Trouble’s hand as they dragged her behind them swiftly as they ran down the road.

“Catra! Double Trouble! Where are you going?” Glimmer yelled after them, her voice shrill into the night air.

“Come on, you slow pokes,” Double Trouble hollered back, “who can reach the palace first?”

Catra glanced back and saw Glimmer look at Bow in bewilderment, before Bow grabbed Glimmer’s hand and started running after them.

“ _ Bow! _ ”

“What? You don’t want to lose, do you?”

Catra turned back, her feet still moving clumsily as Double Trouble tugged her forwards. A laugh broke free from her throat as they ran, bubbling out of her as the wind whipped around her cheeks.

(She hadn’t noticed the unreadable expression on Adora’s face as she looked between Double Trouble and Catra, their laughter, their closeness, the way she momentarily imagined herself in Double Trouble’s place.)

She  _ did _ hear the yelps of Scorpia and Perfuma and the cackle from Entrapta as she ran up beside her, her hair stretched behind her as she tugged her two friends behind her by the strands.

“Oh, whatever,” Mermista groaned as she let Sea Hawk tug her along too.

As it happened, Entrapta reached the palace first, barely out of breath as she hugged the front doors, Scorpia and Perfuma close behind her, both wind stricken. Double Trouble was close on their tail, laughter still bubbling from their throat as they reached the steps, letting go of Catra’s hand to bend over with their hands on their knees, sucking in huge breaths of air.

Catra spun around, still slightly bewildered but feeling a grin tugging between her cheeks regardless, laughing at Scorpia’s messy hair (though hers was not much better).

Adora was next, carrying Starla in her arms as she had transformed into her princess form, 8 foot tall with her glowing her streaming behind her as she jogged up the steps, letting out a triumphant shout. Catra’s face fell as she let Starla down, back onto her feet, transforming back into Adora with a bright flash.

“That’s cheating!” Glimmer yelled faintly from behind them. “I could have used my princess powers to teleport here and yet I didn’t!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Adora said, not apologetic in the slightest, “I wasn’t aware there were any rules to this game!”

Starla laughed at that, soft and lofty, her orange hair practically glowing. Catra had to will herself not to roll her eyes bitterly, hating the jealousy that gnawed at her stomach every time her gaze was unfortunate enough to land on them.

Once they had all entered the palace and settled down in the living room, Glimmer hijacked a couple of bottles of wine from her parents’ cellar, and they all sat around on those familiar squashy sofas and beanbags. Everyone, already slightly tipsy, were having their mixed conversations, and Catra tried to pay attention to what Double Trouble was talking about with Scorpia and Perfuma, but her mind kept wandering.

Starla was talking animatedly with Adora, Glimmer and Bow, and Catra hated that she noticed, but her voice was so soft, softer than Catra’s, and her cheeks glowed pink from the wine. She seemed to fit right into the group dynamic, and soon enough everyone in the room was tuning into her conversation, suddenly interested in the new girl. She knew it was petty to be jealous of this girl, who she was sure she would like if she gave her a chance, but she couldn’t help it. Now that she had realised her true feelings for Adora, she couldn’t help but feel like it was a personal attack that Adora had actually gone to the prom with someone else. Even though she had gone with someone else herself, part of her wanted to see if Adora would care, if she would fight for Catra, but Adora didn’t seem to care at all. In fact, she had barely looked at Catra all night. Sure, it could be because Catra was avoiding her, but…

Catra sighed, shaking herself out of her thoughts. With new-found confidence, probably from the wine, she lifted her legs and rested her feet in Double Trouble’s lap, earning a knowing look from them as they paused mid-sentence. They took the bait, though, and rested one of their palms on her shin, and she bit her lip as she crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes flickering to where Adora sat. Her stomach flipped as she saw Adora staring at her, her face unreadable. Whatever expression  _ that _ was, it was gone immediately, replaced with a look of challenge, and she snaked her arm around Starla’s waist, pulling her down into her lap. Starla seemed a little confused, her cheeks flushing a deeper pink, but she settled down anyway, her hands shyly settling in her lap.

Catra hardened, the jealousy in the pit of her stomach growing until it was hard to breathe and she could hear her pulse in her ears. She clenched her jaw, attempting to keep it under control. She would  _ not _ show how this affected her. She looked back at Double Trouble, who was looking back at her with a sympathetic look. Somehow, Double Trouble’s pity just made the feeling worse, and she retracted her feet from their lap and stood up, a beat too fast, she knew, because everyone looked up at her expectantly. She fumbled over herself as she made a lame excuse and stormed out of the room, her hands shaking as she headed for the nearest exit that would grant her fresh air. She found the double doors leading to the balcony and as she opened them, she breathed deeply.

She clenched and unclenched her hands, hopping onto the balcony wall, letting her legs hang off the edge as she looked down, across the tops of the trees of the Whispering Woods that moved slowly in the evening breeze as the moons shone brightly overhead.

⚔

Adora watched her go, a cold feeling settling in her stomach. The room had fallen silent when she left, and everyone looked at each other with bewildered expressions on their faces. Adora glanced at Double Trouble, a person she barely knew, and saw them looking back at her, regarding her with an odd expression on their face. She suddenly felt self conscious.

“Oh, I guess she’s an angry drunk,” Perfuma said, breaking the silence, and Scorpia and Double Trouble laughed softly as the tension was broken.

“Yeah, I guess I should go and check on her,” Adora murmured, patting Starla’s side as she made to get up. Starla stood up swiftly, still looking flustered, and Adora momentarily felt bad for dragging her into this awkward situation between her and Catra.

Truthfully, she felt a bit rejected when Catra hadn’t asked her to prom. Part of her assumed they would automatically go together, she felt like she didn’t even have to ask. But when Catra blurted out that she was going with Double Trouble, who sat across the room from her now, it was like a sharp kick to the gut. Maybe it wasn’t fair of her to expect such things from her best friend, but she  _ wanted _ to go with Catra. After all they had been through that year, she just wanted to enjoy the last big school event with her best friend. There was something else there, too, but it was something she wasn’t ready to turn over in her mind.

So then, there was Starla. New to the school, she had transferred from Aquarii, and had joined the cheerleading team. Adora had welcomed her initially when she first joined the school, and found her to be generally enjoyable to be around, so Adora asked her to go to prom with her after school one day. She promised Starla it would strictly be as friends, and that she just hadn’t found anyone else to go with yet, so naturally she felt bad for pulling her into her sudden desire to make Catra… jealous?

Starla still looked flustered as Adora stood up, and Adora smiled apologetically as she straightened her dress and excused herself from the room, making a mental note to apologise to Starla later.

She found the cat girl easily, knowing in the back of her mind that Catra would find a quiet place to perch herself to calm down. Catra hadn’t noticed her yet, and Adora felt a nervous feeling curdle in the pit of her stomach as she watched her. Catra wiped the back of her hand over her cheek, and Adora thought at first with a start that she was crying. She had never seen Catra cry before.

“I know you’re there, Adora.”

Adora let out a soft, nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her neck as she approached the other girl. “Hey. Are you… okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Catra…” The girl in question looked off, avoiding Adora’s gaze as she approached close enough to lean on the balcony wall with her forearms. “Catra, please stop shutting me out.”

Catra hummed, but said nothing. She was looking off over the treetops, her expression unreadable. Adora looked down at her hands.

“It hurts,” she said, at last. Catra sucked in a breath and sighed heavily, bringing a hand up to drag down her face. The words settled between them in silence. Adora felt Catra shuffle beside her, turning slightly towards her.

“I’m sorry, Adora, I just…” She trailed off, her gaze following Adora’s to look at her pale hands, twisting under the low light of the moons. “Look, can you like, not look at me while I say this?”

“Uh, sure,” Adora returned, twisting her body to look in the opposite direction, her eyes studying the rocky cliffs framing the back of Brightmoon as she listened out for Catra’s voice.

“Look, I just,” Catra sighed, and Adora imagined that she had her face in her hands at this point, because her voice was slightly muffled. “I’m  _ so _ confused. About everything. I don’t know if this will make sense, but you make me feel…  _ so _ many different things, and it’s just hard to process sometimes.” She paused, and Adora waited, her breath stuck in her throat. “I guess I just found it easier to shut you out because I didn’t know how to approach my feelings.”

“Catra…” Adora turned back, and noticed with a flip of her stomach that Catra’s cheeks were tainted pink, but she was still avoiding her gaze, pulling her hair down over her cheeks to hide the flush.

“I told you not to look at me!” she snapped, but her voice was soft, vulnerable, and Adora held back a smile as she turned around again, dipping her head to analyse her feet as she waited for Catra to continue. “Ugh, I just… Don’t you get it? I like you, Adora, and I think I always have.” Adora’s heart thudded in her chest, and her own cheeks heated up at Catra’s words, her voice slightly agitated but still ever so vulnerable, more vulnerable than Adora had ever heard Catra speak. She couldn’t help but turn back, her heart burning to see Catra’s face, and this time, Catra didn’t contest it, finally meeting Adora’s gaze with wide eyes. “I know what you’re going to say, so I just want you to know it’s completely fine if you don’t like me back-”

“Catra,” Adora started, and Catra cut off, pulling her lips into a tight line, her eyes still wide and searching Adora’s. “Can I try something?” Catra nodded, and Adora raised her hand to her chin, leaning in while pulling her in and their lips touched together softly. Catra was too stunned to kiss back, and it was over before she could really comprehend what happened, her lips tingling in the cold air as Adora pulled back. Her lips had a subtle taste of wine on them, and they were soft, softer than Catra had imagined them to be. “Does that answer anything?” she asked with an infuriating smirk, but Catra noticed her cheeks had also turned pink, matching Catra’s, which burned bright red.

“I… yes. I think?”

Adora laughed and clasped her hands in her own, and Catra noted with a flip in her stomach that they were warm and, also, softer than she expected. She looked up at the blonde as she laughed, and all the ugly feelings in her stomach dissipated to a soft, gentle warmth which spread throughout her chest and bubbled out of her own throat as laughter. The tension in the air evaporated and she leapt forward to pull Adora in for another kiss, their lips connecting in a mutual kiss this time, and it lasted longer as Catra revelled in the new feeling of her lips fitted between the blonde’s, the other girls hands coming up to curl around the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair.

As they pulled away for a breath, Catra let out a soft laugh at Adora’s dazed expression. “You’re such an idiot,” she said, trying to cover her shyness with coy humour. Adora laughed back at her, and they fell into a comfortable silence as Adora’s hands travelled down her arms to clasp at her hands again.

“I don’t think I’m ready to tell anyone else yet,” Catra murmured after a while, and Adora tilted her head in response.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Catra was relieved to see that Adora didn’t look hurt or angry, she just waited for her to elaborate. “I mean, I only just admitted my feelings to myself. And to you, I guess.” Adora chuckled again, and nodded slowly. Catra breathed as she let her eyes drop, allowing herself to finally take in how beautiful Adora looked this evening, her red dress dulled in the moonlight but her blue eyes still sparkled. “I’m sorry I was such an asshole.”

“It’s okay, I understand,” Adora said, smiling softly and stroking a stray strand of hair away from Catra’s face. “So… what would you say if I asked you out on a date?”

Catra floundered again, her cheeks heating up once more as her face cracked into a shy grin. She opened her mouth to make a sound, but only a small, humiliating squeal came out.

“Right, that’s what I thought,” Adora laughed, “so I’ll pick you up Friday after school?”

Catra could only nod numbly as Adora tightened her hold on her hands, then led her back inside where they rejoined the party, Catra now able to sit in her usual position with her feet in Adora’s lap. She rested her cheek on the other girl’s shoulder as everyone settled down to chatter again, and Adora kept ahold of her hand beneath the blanket that Catra pulled up over her knees, and the butterflies in Catra’s stomach would not settle down because Adora kept stroking the back of her hand with her thumb.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some fluff for the final chapter because i love to see catra be happy.
> 
> final song suggestion: '[wild roses](https://open.spotify.com/track/7f8iBUiwio1oX5lAFwC5xI?si=J9z8_A4QRpmY_ipFXP17dw)' by of monsters and men.

Catra felt strangely calm as she sat on the edge of her bed, all dressed up for her date with Adora in her ripped leggings and baggy t-shirt. She had been doing her homework since school ended, anxious to get it out of the way so that she could enjoy the rest of the evening with her girlfriend. She still felt giddy saying that in her head.

For the last week since prom, Adora stuck to her promise of not telling anyone yet, and Catra felt comfortable in exploring her feelings peacefully, just with Adora. It felt special, just between the two of them, like their own little world. Adora held her hand under the table at lunch, and Catra still felt her breath catch in her throat as she did, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She would steal kisses after school when no one was looking as they said goodbye. Little things that Catra was still new to, and admittedly, Adora was too. But even as they were new and exciting, they also felt  _ right, _ like they could have been doing them for years. Though it was strange having Adora reciprocate her feelings after months of doubt and insecurity, now that she did, it fit naturally into their order of things. Catra smiled as she looked down at her hands, which tingled slightly as if she could imagine Adora’s touch.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard a faint knock at the front door, and she leapt up, excitement bubbling inside her as she pulled on Adora’s jacket and tore out of her room, running down the stairs two steps at a time and reaching the front door before either of her mothers could answer it, and there she was. Adora stood grinning at her, in a white turtleneck and grey jeans. Catra let out a little chuckle as she closed the door behind her before leaning up (only a bit, she was not  _ that _ short, okay?) and greeting her girlfriend with a soft kiss.

“Hey, Adora.”

“Catra,” Adora breathed back, a pink tint blossoming on her cheeks, a slightly dazed expression on her face. “I mean - hi!”

Catra laughed again and pushed her back towards her skiff which hummed in the clearing beside her house. “Quick, let’s get out of here, before Netossa bombards us with embarrassing questions.”

“So you told them?” Adora asked, a slight surprised tone in her voice.

“Netossa kind of knew before I did.” And she had been right. Catra couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She slipped her hand into Adora’s as they got onto the skiff. The spring breeze wafted around them, and the warmth of Adora’s palm was welcoming.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I accidentally told Huntara.”

“How do you  _ accidentally _ tell someone you have a girlfriend?” Catra asked incredulously.

“See, what happens when you have about two brain cells, and you’re used to telling your carer  _ everything, _ shit just slips out,” Adora laughed, squeezing Catra’s hand slightly. “You know how it goes.”

Catra rolled her eyes, her cheeks hurting from smiling so much. “Unfortunately with you, I do.”

Adora pulled away from Catra’s house, and as they rumbled through the air in the pit of the skiff, Catra could feel her girlfriend’s thumb tracing over the back of her hand as she steered with the other, and Catra felt like she could just about turn to mush right then and there.

“Where are you taking me, anyway?” Catra asked softly, as trees passed by them swiftly, and she realised she didn’t quite recognise this part of the Whispering Woods.

“A surprise.” Adora’s smirk was infuriating (but cute). Catra let out a small noise of dissent, and Adora laughed at that. “We’re almost there, don’t worry.”

Soon enough, the skiff came humming to a halt in a clearing, surrounded on all sides by tall, aching trees adorned with plants that only grew in the depths of the forest, according to Catra’s botany lessons. The plants almost glowed, and seemed to breathe in and out as they swayed in the soft breeze. They were of all colours and textures and sizes, Catra couldn’t help but let her chin fall as she gaped. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah.”

As Catra brought her gaze back to those blue eyes, her cheeks flushed. Adora had been watching her, admiring her reaction. She pulled her hair around her cheeks out of habit, but Adora just smiled brightly and hopped out of the vehicle, rounding to the back to pull some things out of the trunk. Catra stepped out herself, walking slowly, following the blonde as her eyes returned to admire the nature around them. The sky above the canopy of trees was tinted orange and red, and set the clearing into a golden haze, and everything around her seemed to glow that much brighter. She could hear animals chittering in the bows of the trees above, and the leaves seemed to chatter back as the breeze blew through them. Catra couldn’t believe she had never been this deep inside the Woods before.

When she rounded the skiff, she saw that Adora had set up a picnic blanket in the middle of the clearing. Catra grinned shyly and bent herself to sit next to her. Adora leaned into her shoulder and kissed her cheek.

“I made your favourite,” she said, pulling out misshapen, homemade granola bars. Catra laughed and took one, before settling back on her elbows and stretching out her legs.

“So, I was wondering,” she started, breaking a chunk off the granola bar. “When did you realise you liked me?”

Adora pursed her lips in thought as she settled back on the blanket. “I guess, similarly to you, I always had? I didn’t realise until you told me. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you when you stopped talking to me. You were always on my mind.”

Catra pouted, leaning across to peck Adora’s lips quickly. “I’m sorry, again, for that.”

A little smile tugged at the corners of Adora’s mouth. “It’s okay. I’ve got you now.”

Catra hummed as she picked up one of Adora’s hands, running her fingertips over her palm. “I like it when you tell me about your feelings.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Catra pressed her lips to the back of the other’s hand. “I thought for so long that I was alone in those feelings. Sometimes I still can’t believe you like me back, like this is all some dream that I’ll wake up from soon.”

Adora leaned her free hand over and pinched her thigh. Catra screeched, frowning as Adora tipped her head back and laughed. “See?” she said, through giggles. “Not dreaming.”

Catra couldn’t really stay mad for long, because Adora’s laugh sent a wave of warmth over her, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“But really,” Adora continued, “when you said you already had a date for prom, I think it hit me then, though I hadn’t realised yet. I had just assumed we would go together. Almost like we were already together?”

Catra bit her lip, looking down at Adora’s fingers now intertwined with hers. “I wanted to go with you, but I was scared you would reject me. I thought it would be easier to say I was going with someone else to save me the hurt.” She paused, and looked back up at her girlfriend, a smile pulling at the corners of her lips at the absurdity of her next words. “I hadn’t even asked Double Trouble yet. I practically had to beg them to go with me.”

Adora let out another chuckle. “Yeah? I expressly told Starla we were just going as friends, and then I got jealous when  _ you _ flirted with Double Trouble all night so I flirted with her too. I had to apologise profusely afterwards, and I felt so bad.” She bit into the corner of one of the granola bars. “Turns out she became good friends with Glimmer and Bow that night, so I expect we’ll see more of her.”

“Oh,” Catra said, amused, “that’s nice. I’d like to get to know her now that I’m not jealous and angsty anymore.”

“Oh she’s so nice,” Adora continued, “she and her siblings moved here recently.”

“I remember her saying.” Catra smiled. She leaned back onto the picnic blanket. “I can’t believe how jealous I was. Can you believe I thought you and  _ Glimmer _ were a thing? I didn’t even see how in love with Bow she was.”

“What? No?” Adora sat up and stared at her. “You thought that?”

“Oh, I kind of assumed Glimmer told you.” Catra’s cheeks burned again. “Well - at the party, when I walked in on you two hugging, I thought you were… hooking up or something. I don’t know, I was drunk and jealous, I wasn’t really thinking properly.”

“Oh  _ that? _ ” Adora’s mouth hung open slightly. “I was comforting her, and then after you left I searched all over the palace for you.”

Catra turned onto her side and smiled softly. “You did?”

“Yeah. I hadn’t realised you had left entirely.”

They held each other’s eyes for a moment, and Catra could feel her heart thumping in her chest. Adora leaned down, and Catra rose to meet her lips as the blonde’s hands cupped her cheeks. Their kiss lingered for a moment, and Catra could feel her blush deepening.

“Wow,” she murmured as they pulled away.

And they continued like that, exchanging stories, sharing each other’s thoughts, and in some ways, it was just like it was before. But in other ways, it was entirely new, like the way Adora’s hands lingered on her waist, on her thighs, warm and secure, sent small thrills up Catra’s spine. But the way Adora laughed, the way her eyes crinkled as she smiled, the way the silences settled comfortably between them every now and then, that was all too familiar.

No, this was not a dream, Catra decided, as her hand cupped behind Adora’s ear and their lips drew close to meet each other again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaand fin!
> 
> thank you so much for reading. i appreciate you all very much.
> 
> you can find me @[lunardeism](https://lunardeism.tumblr.com/) on tumblr and @[catrartemis](https://twitter.com/catrartemis) on twitter if you so desire.


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